


Brooklyn High School

by Too_ManyShips



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Concert, Crush, Cute, Fluff, High School, Multi, Peraltiago, Romance, Slow Burn, Teen Crush, Teenagers, dianetti
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-07 02:12:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14661204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Too_ManyShips/pseuds/Too_ManyShips
Summary: It's Jake and Amy's final year of high school. As head boy and head girl, they must make the most of this final year. With a little help from their friends, they end up doing things they never thought possible.In this chapter, they show up to form and share some potential ~flirty banter~.





	1. Back to school

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fanfic so it'll probably be pretty basic but please bear with me! :) I hope to update it at least twice a week

**Amy's POV**

I step through the gates with a sense of nostalgia buzzing around in the pit of my stomach. This is my last first day of high school. The last day where everything is new and exciting and full of surprises. I walk into my tutor room and head to my desk, the desk I've chosen for the last 6 years. But as I swing my backpack off my shoulders to put it on the desk, I realise somebody's sitting there: Jake Peralta.

"Morning Santiago!" he shouts, waving his hand and doing that insufferable smirk of his. How did he end up being head boy? Sure, I guess he's cute, and funny, and kind of smart... but, I mean, he's Jake Peralta! He's meant to sit at the back and make stupid comments and have Boyle follow him around everywhere high-fiving him. But here he is, in my seat, smirking at me. That smirk.

"Jacob," I nod, "you're in my seat." 

"I don't see your name on it," he replies, kicking his feet up onto the desk.

"Well no," I say, pushing his feet off the desk, "but I've sat there in tutor for the last six years. If you think I'm breaking that tradition now, in our final seventh year, then you don't know me that well Peralta. You ought to know your head girl." At that, his face seemed to light up, at least for a brief second.

"Ah yes! You're head girl. Of course. Well then, m'lady..." At this, he gets up, bowing towards my seat. "I suppose this is yours." I slide my bag onto the desk and go to sit down. But, just as I'm about to claim the chair, I hear him yell "PSYCH!" and slide onto the chair just before I can fully sit down, leaving me sat on his lap. I sit, stunned, unsure of what to do. Of course, this is the exact moment Mr Holt decides to stroll in to start tutor.

"Miss Santiago," he drawls, in that monotone voice of his, "your personal relationships should stay outside of my classroom, thank you." Blushing furiously I jump up, adjusting my skirt. 

"But Ra- I mean, Mr Holt, it's not my fault! You see, that's my seat-" 

"Forgive me if I am wrong but I do not see your name on it, Miss Santiago." At this, Jake turns to me with that smirk of his. Always with that smirk. That damned cute smirk. Pushing my hair behind both my ears, I consider appealing to Mr Holt about getting my seat back but I decide it's just not worth it. I grab my bag and slide into a different seat, leaving one space in between me and Peralta. I look over to see him high fiving Boyle and - would you believe it? - smirking. He glances over and me and gives a cheerful wave as if nothing just happened. I sigh. This is going to be a long year.

 

**Jake's POV**

Despite my cheerful wave, Amy makes no further contact with me, just pushes her hair behind her ears again and turns away. Amy and I are going to spend a lot of time together this year, us being head boy and girl and all. We've got so much to do that there's no way I can't achieve my goal. I'm determined. This is it. This is going to be the year I make Amy Santiago fall in love with me.

I mean, we'd be the ultimate power couple. Amy's smart, beautiful, brave, pretty, funny... did I mention how great she looks? And I mean, come on, I'm Jake Peralta. I'm about to run the school and look good doing it. I am ready. I am-

"Mr Peralta," Mr Holt says. I can tell from his tone this isn't the first time he's tried to get my attention.

"Why, yes sir?" I reply, turning my head towards him.

"Ah, it is good to know your ears do indeed still work. Mr Peralta, I do believe the uniform states you should be wearing a tie." I glance down, although I'm not sure why because I already know what I'll see; no tie. I mean, what is the point of ties? They just tie around your neck like a noose, strangling you all day. If teachers really do want me to work, I don't know why they expect to keep this piece of material stuck to my neck all day.

"Really, sir? After six years you would've thought somebody would've told me that."

"Ha ha," Holt says, monotone as ever.

"Well, actually, Jake-" Boyle begins, leaning forward in his seat.

"Let me stop you there, Boyle," I say, turning towards him. "Yes, I know I should be wearing a tie, but you see," I say, turning back to Holt, "I got very held up this morning because I had a very big drama happening at home and I was simply so overwhelmed I didn't have a spare moment to remember my tie."

"If you're going to be head boy, you're going to need to try a little harder to look presentable. I couldn't stand it if you looked scruffy," Amy interjects, turning back towards me.

"Well I wouldn't want to disappoint you now, would I?" I reply, smiling. It's true, though. If I truly like Amy - which I definitely do - I can't stand to do anything to let her down. I won't.

"Would you care to explain what this family drama is, Peralta?" Holt asks, looking at me expectantly. Thinking fast, I come up with a story.

"But of course sir! It all started when I was seven, and my dad left-" I begin, sitting up in my seat to prepare for this. Sadly, this is the exact moment the bell rang.

"First lesson!" Holt barks. "Peralta, you got away with it this time. I expect to see you in a tie tomorrow." I salute at him as he walks out the door, laptop under his arm and head held high. I head towards the door where Amy is, her giant English binder cradled in her arm like a baby. 

"After you, Amy," I say, gesturing to the door. She smiles at me and heads toward the door. "PSYCH!" I shout, jumping through the door ahead of her and sliding through to the sound of her sigh. I turn back round smirking. "See you in English!" I wave, high fiving Boyle as I head down the corridor.

"English is downstairs, Peralta," Amy shouts after me.

"I knew that!" I reply, spinning on my heel and turning back towards the stairs. And, as I do, I think I see her poorly concealing a smile. Maybe this whole 'getting Amy to fall in love with me' thing will be easier than I thought. This is going to be a good year.

 


	2. Meet the class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since the last chapter was only peraltiago I thought I should introduce the rest of the crew! Enjoy :)

**Amy's POV**

I walk into English and sit down at my regular seat - thankfully this time Jake-free - and put my binder down on the table. Over the years it's grown almost too heavy to carry, but I keep it with me anyway because who doesn't love a good binder? Although, if I buy a new one, it'll have that new binder smell... tempting. Anyway. I glance around the classroom which is gradually filling up as students trickle through the door, showing various degrees of tiredness and hate for the world on their face. Only a few people are already in the classroom, one of them being Teddy. Oh, Teddy. We broke up two years ago yet still he gives me those stupid puppy dog eyes whenever he sees me. If he ever comes near me in the corridor all I hear is “Can I carry your binder, Amy?”, “Do you want to hang out, Amy?”, or, worse yet, “I still love you, Amy.” Ugh. He just can’t let go. Don’t get me wrong, he’s sweet and all, but so, SO boring.

First through the door after me is Boyle, seen for once without Jake. He's sweet enough on his own really - a little overeager, but a kind heart. He's pretty smart, unless he's around Rosa. Then he loses his mind entirely because he is, of course, head over heels in love with her. I mean, seriously infatuated. I hope I never get like that over somebody - every time Rosa enters a room, his eyes are glued to her and you can hear his sigh from the other side of the room. Unfortunately for him, Rosa has been with Gina since last year and, honestly, they're a hotass couple. Yet Charles still holds out hope. I suppose I admire his determination. He puts his bag on one desk and sits down at the one next to it - clearly, he's saving a space for Jake.

Next through the door is Terry. The dude's a little extravagant, but he's  **ripped.** I mean, damn. He's tough looking but a real sensitive guy deep down. Everybody likes him. I mean, what's not to love about a guy who can make his pecs move individually? A weird talent but a good party trick. He sits down somewhere near the front.

Following Terry comes Gina, who today is dressed in a long, black coat and sunglasses. Anybody who asks her why gets the response "I'm mourning the loss of summer", although it's 27 degrees outside. She's a bit eccentric, a bit of a wild card, you never really know what's going to come out of her mouth. But, much like Terry, everyone likes her. She's the kind of girl you go to for blunt advice, or the kind of girl who just gives it even if you don't want it. And some of her one liners - woo! Yes girl.

Then comes Jake. Despite his 'cool dude' image, I've only known him to show up to lessons late 5 times in the last six years, during a week where he always suffered some serious bad luck somewhere in the corridor - a toilet flooded, a locker collapsed on him, two young kids got in a fight in front of him and dragged him in. He always thinks of the funniest stories. I mean, stupidest. Who would believe him? He sees me looking and winks at me, causing me to blush and sink down behind my binder. I wait until I hear him pull out his chair and sit next to Boyle before I look up again.

Rosa walks in, clad in a leather jacket as always despite the insane heat outside. Rosa's a serious badass on the outside, but once you get to know some of her walls come down from time to time. I've even be known to make her smile, and I can honestly say that's one of my proudest life achievements. I've known her for years, and yet she's such a private person I know surprisingly little about her. I've never even been to her house! Maybe one day. Once through the door she heads towards Gina and kisses her, smiling, before slouching down next to her and resuming her regular emotionless look. Honestly, she intimidates me. I turn around quickly before she catches me staring.

Just as I turn back round, the next person arrives. Miss Wuntch. Our English teacher. I’ve never really liked her. She’s always fighting with Mr Holt in the corridors and, frankly, if he doesn’t like her then I don’t either. I don’t want to do anything against Mr Holt. She walks over to the chalkboard and writes the title for the day ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. A new topic! Yes! That means a new section in the binder. One of life’s greatest joys. I pull a handful of paper out of my bag and stack it neatly on my desk. I pull out my pencil case and neatly line up my pens and highlighters ready for use. Finally, I pull out my copy of To Kill A Mockingbird and open it, holding it up to my face. Ahh, new book smell. It’s up there as one of my favourite smells, but nothing can beat new binder smell. Nothing. From behind me, I hear Jake snort. I turn around and he’s sat there, sniffing his book mockingly. I stick out my tongue at him and turn back around. Why must he always be watching my every move? Honestly.

Halfway through the register, I hear plodding footsteps outside. Hitchcock and Scully, late as always, stand in the doorway, panting. You never seem to see these two apart, which definitely doesn't do them any good because they're both as useless as each other. Once they dared each other to travel around school all day in those rolling chairs, and they actually managed it, even up the stairs. I suppose props to them? 

“Hitchcock and Scully. Late on the first day,” Mrs Wuntch says without even looking up from her laptop. They sheepishly shuffle to the nearest two seats together – front row. Good luck with that. The register complete, Wuntch picks up her copy of the text and begins to read aloud. I give a small smile. This feels right. I have a good feeling about this year.

**Jake’s POV**

Watching Amy in lessons is truly a spectacular thing. I don’t understand how one person can be so enthusiastic about school. I mean, sure, books don’t smell awful, but I don’t hold books up to my face in the middle of a classroom. And yeah, Jem and Scout are great and all, but I’m not grinning at their story. All their story means is that I have to write paragraphs and paragraphs about annotations and recurring motifs and all that nonsense. Ugh. But it’s cute watching her. She’s cute. Really cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anybody has any requests for future chapters they want to read (more in depth dianetti, the crew in their early days of high school etc) then please let me know! I'd love any suggestions


	3. Picnic date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School's been back for a few weeks now, and things between Jake and Amy appear to have progressed quickly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short, I've been super busy with school. I have a bunch of chapters planned out so they should be coming soon, but for now I hope this tides you over :) Enjoy!

**Amy’s POV**

“Will you tell me where we’re going?” I giggle, my hand reaching for the blindfold over my eyes.

"No, Santiago, because then it's not a surprise," Jake says, slapping my hand away from my eyes and intertwining my fingers with his. I smile, leaning into his familiar touch. "Besides, we're here!" And with that, he untied the blindfold, revealing his surprise: an adorable little picnic all laid out in a nice sunny spot in the park. 

"Oh, Jake! I love it!" I exclaim, turning round and kissing him. "You really are a softie at heart." At this he shrugs and waves me off, but I can tell he's blushing. I really am in love with him. 

"Well come on then, let's eat before the flies completely ruin it," Jake half mumbles. We sit down, our backs to the tree, and I look around, unsure of where to start. Jake doesn't seem to have included any sandwiches or, for that matter, anything savoury at all. 

"Jake," I say, "did you pack anything that isn't practically half sugar?"

"Well why would I?" he replies. "All the best food is mostly just additives and sugar. Go on, have a pink and white."

"A what now?"

"A pink and white! Come on, you're saying you've never had one? It's just a marshmallow in between wafers."

"Sounds disgusting."

"Uh, I beg to differ! Come on, just try it!" He grabs me around the waist and pulls me towards him, holding the wafer to my lips. I giggle and squirm, trying to get away from him, but he's holding on tight. "I'm not letting go until you try it!" And with that, he forced it into my mouth. All I could taste was sugar... and I love it.

"This is incredible! Why have I never had this before?"

"I knew you'd like it," he says, kissing me on the forehead before letting me sit up. "Now come on, let's start this for real."

We sit there, talking, laughing, kissing, cuddling. By the end we're lying, fault in our stars style, just cloud gazing. Suddenly we're interrupted by somebody standing over us, casting a shadow.

"Amy? Amy? Amy!!"

I gasp and jerk awake, looking around me.

"What? What is it?" I think I'm in the common room, but that makes no sense...

"Do my eyes deceive me? Did Amy Santiago just fall asleep... in school?" Jake asks in mock horror. I feel myself begin to blush.

"No. It's not possible. Surely I didn't..." I trail off as I remember. I was up all night studying for the bio exam and then I was so tired I came here during free period... "I did." I'm mortified. And, the icing on the cake - Jake just smirks.

"I've seen it all now. I can die happy!" Jake exclaims, flopping onto the sofa opposite me. As his eyes droop himself, I just stare at him, the memory of the dream washing over me. I smile absent mindedly. That dream is the best I've had in weeks, months even. I think it even beats the one where I went back to school shopping and bought a whole new set of binders.

So.

I think I'm in love with Jake Peralta.


	4. The bet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and Amy are in a meeting when one thing leads to another and, suddenly, Jake's asked Amy out. On a date? Neither of them are sure. Oh yeah, and Jake sings 'That Way'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of long I guess? I hope it's actually good and not just a whole lot of ramble oops. I have lots of other chapters planned that should be on their way pretty soon but in the mean time do leave suggestions for chapters! Thanks for the support :D

**Amy’s POV**

As the weeks go by, I settle back into a steady rhythm: I go to lessons, I sit in the library and do homework at lunch, I go home and do more, then watch some TV or read a book in my free time. In the middle of the normality, I have, of course, all my new head girl responsibilities. And where the head girl goes, the head boy goes, so naturally Jake is always around, causing some kind of mischief. And, as much as I’ve tried to forget about it, that dream I had about Jake sticks in my head and pops up like a jack in the box – more like a Jake in the box – whenever I see him.

Today, we’ve got a senior leadership meeting. The senior leadership consists of myself, Jake, and our team of 10 or prefect-type people. And, of course, the lovely deputy head Kevin. Or, rather, Mr. Cozner. He's more just a supervisor, he's never really paying attention. We’re discussing different fundraising ideas, as the Halloween ball is in about a month and a half and let me tell you, planning a masquerade ball is NOT cheap. And it’s no easy feat either. Particularly when there are people like Jake Peralta in the room. Ah, Jake. After Holt told him off on the first day for not wearing a tie, he’s been wearing one – but not around his neck. He keeps finding dumb ways to wear it: on his arm, as a belt, around his leg. Today it’s tied around his head. Stupid. Stubborn. Adorable.

“So,” I start, trying to stop myself from calling Jake adorable again. “We have a bake sale and a mufti day. Any other ideas?”  
“How about a kissing booth?” Jake calls from the other end of the table, raising his eyebrows at me. I blush.

“Not a terrible idea, but I’m not sure the teachers would approve.” I say, glancing over at Mr Cozner, whose nose is buried in a maths problem. “Mr Cozner?”

“Huh?” he stammers, looking up. “Sure, sure, sounds great.” He returns to his puzzle.

“Well then,” I say, trying to act normal. “If we have enough volunteers to be kissed, then I suppose there can be a kissing booth.” Jake winks at me. I look away, shy.

 

**Jake’s POV**

If I’d known the amount of meetings head boys had to go to, I would’ve thought a little longer about signing up. Definitely worth it though. I’ve spent more time with Amy in these past few weeks than I probably have our whole time at high school. And now, if we go through with this kissing booth, I could have my chance to kiss her. Although, judging by her blushing and hiding from even the mention of the word ‘kiss’, I don’t think this booth is happening any time soon. I can hope.

_~10 minutes later~_

Ugh. Meetings are so boring. Finance? Budgeting? Who needs that. I just want to skip to the party bit. I find myself tapping my pencil against the table, absent mindedly at first before it turns into an actual song.

“I want it that way…” I mumble. Amy looks over with a “what the hell?” look. I decide to make the most of her paying attention to me.

“Tell me why!” I sing, louder now. Her eyebrows furrow closer together. I jump onto the chair. “Ain’t nothing but a HEAAARTACHE!”.

“Tell me why!” Boyle chimes in. This is why he’s my best friend.

“AIN’T NOTHING BUT A MIIISTAKE.” I sing, stepping onto the table.

“Teeell me why!”

“I NEVER WANNA HEAR YOU SAAAY,” I crouch down in front of Amy, my arms outstretched towards her, “I WANT IT THAT WAY.” She rolls her eyes at me, but I’m pretty sure I can see the glimmer of a smile on her face.

“Keep up those performance skills, and maybe you could do some busking to raise some money. Of course, you’ll need to perform some real music,” Amy says, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

“Real music?” I ask, dumbfounded, stepping off the table and settling back into my chair. “If Backstreet Boys isn’t real music, then what on earth is?”

“I don’t know,” Amy says, exasperated. “Anything but that.” Suddenly, I have an idea.

“Okay then. You can drive, right?”

“I, uh… yeah.”

“Meet me Friday night at eight outside the coffee shop down the road. Dress concert appropriate.” I kick my feet up onto the table.

“We’ll see,” she says, tucking her hair behind both ears.

 

**Amy’s POV – Friday night, 7pm**

I’m sat on my bed, my laptop playing an English lecture that I’m listening to for revision, and I’m wearing my pyjamas. Jake invited me to go out with him, but I’m not sure whether it’s a date or not. I don’t want it to be a date. Do I? I’ve thought about going, but I’m afraid it’ll be terribly awkward, and our ‘friendship’ will be forever ruined. It would completely mess up our head boy/head girl dynamic.

But if it is a date, then we could be the ultimate power couple. Well, that spot is probably taken by Rosa and Gina. Nobody could top them. But we could be second, I suppose. Me and Jake. Jake and I. Head boy and head girl. Together.

I get up and head towards my closet. Maybe this could be good for me. My mum’s always telling me to go out more. My brothers are constantly teasing me about only ever really going out with Teddy, and he doesn’t really count because the only places he took me were so, _so_ boring. Okay. I’m going to go to this concert. All I have to do now is figure out what to wear.

What do people wear to concerts anyways? In films, they all seem to wear ripped shorts and crop tops, but that’s definitely not warm enough for this weather. I’m sure what I’ve got will do.

5 minutes later, my entire wardrobe is strewn across my floor. The mess is stressing me out, but not as much as the thought of what to wear. Usually I just put on whatever’s closest, but this is a **concert**. With **Jake**. I hate how much thought I’m putting into this.

“Right. I’ll just wear the next thing I pick up,” I say to myself, hoping it’ll make me stick to this. I look towards the pile, and on top is a glittery dress Gina made me buy when we went shopping once. The next thing after this.

I end up wearing my nice pair of jeans – just simple high-waisted ankle grazers – and a burgundy top that has long lace sleeves. I pull on my converse, also burgundy. Outfit sorted. Should I do my hair? How about makeup? I glance down at my watch. 7:30. It’s a ten minute drive to the coffee shop, and I want to get there ten minutes early, just in case, so that leaves me ten minutes. Let’s see what I can do. I pull up half my hair into a ponytail, leaving the rest to flow around my shoulders. I consider curling it, but that would definitely take too much time. I sit at my vanity, looking around at my makeup. Glitter seems to be a common theme in concerts, so I root through my collection to find my highlight. I never usually wear this because it’s too extravagant, but I suppose this is a special occasion. I swipe it onto my cheeks, amazed at the shine. It gives me a kind of rush, so while I have this feeling I decide to just go for it, and pat on some eyeshadow, followed by a quick coat of mascara. I look in the mirror. Wow. I can barely recognise myself. I glance down at my watch. 7:45. Guess I’ll only be five minutes early… uh oh. I grab my purse, phone and keys and run out the door, shoving a quick pre-written post it note on the fridge in case anybody wondered where I went.

 

**Jake’s POV**

8:01. I turn the corner and, of course, there Amy is, waiting in her car. I knock on the window before pulling open the door and sliding in.

“Evening m’lady…” I trail off as I see what Amy’s wearing. She looks even more incredible than usual. The eyeshadow, the lace… all I want to do is tell her how great she looks. But instead, all that comes out of my mouth is “Long sleeves? To a concert? And jeans? Oh, Amy.” She covers her face, although I’m unsure whether it’s to hide a smile or her genuine embarrassment. I pull her hands away from her face and gently hold them in mine. “You look great.” She smiles, seemingly comfortable with me holding her hands. “It’s cute you put all this effort in just for me.” At this, she quickly spins back and places her hands firmly on the wheel.

“We should go,” she says tightly. “We don’t want to be late.”

“You are the master of timekeeping, I suppose. Onwards!”

 

We don’t talk to each other a lot of the way, the silence filled by the radio playing chart hits.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be the gentleman and pick you up. I kind of… still haven’t learned how to drive,” I say, twiddling my thumbs.

“You what?” Amy asks, not taking her eyes off the road. “For all your swagger, I would’ve thought you’d learn to drive at the first chance you got.”

“Yeah, I thought about it, but there’s a lot of stuff you have to learn and that just seems like a lot of effort.”

“So what, you’re just going to get people to chauffeur you around your whole life? Like some sort of celebrity?"

“Okay one, one day I will absolutely be a celebrity getting driven around town so jokes on you. And two, I will absolutely learn to drive one day.”

“Oh yeah? I bet you won’t learn to drive for at least another year or two.”

“Do you now? Well, I bet that within a year or two I’ll be a fully licensed driver.”

“Okay then, deal.” She sticks out her hand for a handshake. I hesitate. I consider making her seal this bet with a kiss, but decide I’d rather wait for our first kiss to be something more special. Somewhere more special. “Come on, Jake, I really do need two hands to drive. If a police car drove past right now…” I reach out and shake her hand, lingering for a second longer than was probably necessary. I’m not sure if she notices or not – she’s too focused on not getting pulled over for taking one hand off the wheel for two seconds. She’s a tricky one to understand, Amy is.

 

**Amy’s POV**

The whole night passes in a blur of lights, loud noises and jumping. As we slide back into the car, significantly more frazzled than we were two hours ago, I can’t even remember the name of the band. It was something weird. But, it was the best two hours of my life. And spending it with Jake made it even better. He wasn’t annoying once; he was a perfect gentleman. It makes me wonder if this was a date after all. He paid for my dinner, even though it was just burgers from some stall, he insisted I stood in front of him to get the better view, although he shrugged it off, making some joke about how he was a giant compared to me. Underneath all his layers of “bad ass” and “too cool for school”, Jake Peralta is a giant sweetheart.

A sweetheart that I have a crush on. For sure.

Uh oh.

I look over and he’s looking at me, although he turns away as soon as our eyes meet. I wonder what he’s thinking about as I turn the car back on and pull out of the car park. Time to return to reality.

 

**Jake’s POV**

I’m staring at Amy, taking her in. I’ve never seen her like this. She’s usually so uptight but now, now she’s so relaxed. She’s had a grin plastered across her face all evening, even now. She looks over at me and I quickly look away. Does she think this was a date? Do I think this was a date? I don’t know. I thought I was smarter than this, I had a plan, but now, sitting next to her in the afterglow of an incredible concert with an incredible girl, I don’t know what to think.

As Amy pulls out of the car park and into the long line of traffic, I make a decision. I’m going to ask out Amy Santiago. For reals. On a proper date.

The only question is: how?


	5. The Kissing Booth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy considers Jake's suggestion of a kissing booth for the fundraiser - all Amy's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for another short chapter! I've been super busy. I'm going to try and work on some more chapters as I have some free time and might even start a new thing with some one shots, we'll see :)

**Amy’s POV**

I’m sat at my desk, my newest notebook in front of me – a marble effect one with the word ‘NOTES’ in gold across the top – and a nice gel pen next to it. I uncap the pen and open the notebook to the first page. There’s something so simple yet so satisfying about the first page of a new notebook.

I write ‘fundraising’ in my fanciest cursive writing across the top,  swirl a bullet point onto the first line, then stop, stuck. I look back in my other notebook for things I jotted down during the meeting and go to copy them over. Bake sale, mufti day, lucky dip… I stop as I read the next thing I wrote.

_Kissing booth?_

I stare at the words, tapping my pen against the page. Do I want to do a kissing booth? On the one hand, yes, I absolutely do, because this could be my chance. I could kiss Jake without him realising I have a crush on him, so if it goes awkwardly he’d never know. And I’m sure it’d raise a LOT of money – which teenagers don’t like kissing? Me, it would seem.

However, maybe not enough people would want to actually be running the booth – it’s one thing to just kiss one person of your choice, but to potentially kiss half the school? That’s another story.

I move my pen to go and write kissing booth, but hesitate just as I write it. This is so selfish. As head girl, I need to consider the wants and needs of the school as a whole, and not focus on my childish crush on the equally childish head boy. Just as I go to write it, I remember that I should probably check there are actually people willing to man the booth. I send a quick text to Boyle, who I left in charge of checking the list for sign ups – _“hey, any updates on the sign-up sheet for the potential kissing booth?”_

As I wait for Boyle’s reply, I swivel absent mindedly on my chair, unsure of what I want the outcome to be. Do I want there to be lots of sign ups? Do I not? I don’t know. My phone buzzes and, weirdly, I’m nervous.

_“Last I checked we had about 8 sign ups, 4 girls 4 boys – one was Jake!”_

At this I laugh. Of course Jake signed up.

_“Great, thanks Charles!”_ I reply, putting my phone off to the side.

Well then. I take the plunge and write kissing booth on the list. Below it I write a few extra random ideas I saw on pinterest before closing the notebook and placing it in my bag, ready for my meeting tomorrow with the head teacher so he can approve our ideas. As I close my bag, I sigh. Provided everything goes well tomorrow, we’re running a kissing booth. And Jake is going to be behind it. And I’m going to kiss him. For the school, of course. To raise money. Yeah.

 

THE NEXT DAY

“A kissing booth?” Holt repeats in his monotone voice. Damn his monotone voice. I’m pretty sure I can read him though, and I’m pretty sure that was an impressed tone of voice. “Absolutely not! Do you really take me for the sort of man who would condone his students to kiss willy-nilly in my school? All your other fundraisers are fine, sensible ideas – although I personally will be avoiding the sponge the teacher booth – but there is no chance I’m letting you go through with this. You’re a smart girl, Amy. You know this is the best choice.” I nod.

“Okay, sir. Thank you for your feedback,” I say as I turn and walk out the door. Once out the door, I sink onto the nearby sofa. After all that build up, all that stress, we’re not even going through with the kissing booth. It’s a shame – that we can’t use it to raise money for the school, of course. I don’t mind not kissing Jake. Do I?

As I head through the corridors to my first class, I bump into Jake.

“Santiago!” he exclaims. “How’d it go with Holt?”  
“It went,” I said. “He confirmed all our ideas except the kissing booth. And he won’t be taking part in the sponge a teacher stall.”  
“No!” He clutches his heart, dramatically falling to the ground. “I can’t kiss hot girls and I can’t throw sponges at Holt… what’s the point of being head boy??” I look down on him and raise my eyebrow.

“You’re an odd one, Peralta,” I say, ruffling his hair as I walk past him towards my lesson. I can’t quite believe I did that. I consider looking back but decide not to.

I’ll kiss Jake one day – for reals.


	6. Cinnamon rolls and hospital beds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loosely based on a suggestion, a sickfic style chapter!  
> While studying, Amy gets a text telling her to head to the hospital asap. Who could it be?

**Amy’s POV**

I’m sitting at home, doing some flashcards for ‘The Great Gatsby Quotes’, when my phone goes off. I resist checking it at first, as I’m supposed to be studying. I’ve finished the majority of these quotes, I just have to go over them for the test tomorrow. Well, one quick break wouldn’t hurt I suppose. I flip my phone over and see it’s from Jake. Why’s Jake texting me on a Sunday afternoon? I slide my phone open and read the text.

_“You know how the head girl has to look out for any students in the school? Well… please bring cinnamon rolls to the hospital. Room 310. ASAP.”_

He ended it with a kissy face emoji. Oh, Jake. I grab my car keys, pocket my phone, slip on some shoes and head out the door, sticking another pre-written note on the fridge. I’m so glad I wrote those.

I stop off at the nearest shop to grab a packet of cinnamon rolls, wondering as I pay who I’m actually buying these for. Is it Jake? No, surely if Jake was in hospital he wouldn’t be able to text me. It’s probably Boyle, and Jake’s keeping him company and got hungry. That’s probably it.

Eventually, I emerge from the long traffic queues and find myself in the hospital lobby.

“Hi, excuse me, could you please tell me where room 310 is?” I ask the nearest nurse.

“Just down the corridor, first left,” she replies.

“Thank you!” I head down the corridor, with that familiar hospital smell that’s reminiscent of hand sanitiser and bleach. I find room 310 and push the door open gingerly, unsure of what to expect.

“Jake?” I ask incredulously, taking in the scene, “what on earth have you done?”

“I blame you entirely,” he replies, a mischievous glint in his eye. He's sat in the bed, an IV in his arm, and lots of monitors around connecting to him in some way. There's no Boyle in sight. I guess Jake really did do something.

“Me? What have I done?”  
“You told me I should learn how to drive, so I did.”

“You drove yourself into a hospital bed?”  
“I may have gotten a little over-excited, and I may have missed the brake, and I may have slightly bumped into a stop sign that somehow, completely randomly, fell.”  
“You what?! Jake, we have so many fundraisers to do before the Halloween ball, and we need to be there together to present a united front, and here you are strapped up to a million machines.” Honestly. This boy.

“Calm down! I wasn’t hurt that badly.  The doctor said all my bleeding was internal. That’s where the blood’s supposed to be!” I give him a death stare. “Come on, Santiago, take a joke.”

“How are you head boy?”  
“Because I’m charming and everyone loves me.” At this, he grins. “Now come on, I believe I requested cinnamon buns?”

 

**Jake’s POV**

Honestly, the doctor said I’m fine, and I didn’t really get any injuries – except for some minor bruising – and I can go home tonight, I’m just here for observation, so I didn’t NEED the company. But I’m enjoying it. Amy’s perched on the edge of my bed and we’re eating cinnamon rolls in a semi-awkward silence, only interrupted by our chewing.

“Jake,” Amy asks, turning towards me.

“Amy,” I reply, sitting up.

“Why did you text me and not Boyle? I mean, you know him better than you know me, and he was more likely to come.”  
“You’re here, aren’t you?”

“Well... yeah," she turns away. I smirk.

Honestly, Boyle was here earlier. I sent him away because of what the doctor said. I wasn’t sure Amy would turn up, but I really hoped she would. And the cinnamon rolls are just a bonus.

I just watch Amy for a while, taking her in, when she turns towards her bag and pulls out some flashcards.

“Really, Santiago?”  
“Well, we could be here a while, and we do have an English test tomorrow.”  
“We do?” At this, Amy smiles a little and shakes her head.

“Yes, Peralta. Do you ever pay attention?”

“Hardly ever.” I beam. “So does this mean you’re sticking around?”  
“Well… I guess. I can’t have my head boy alone, injured and failing English.” She blushes a little. I scooch over in the bed, patting the space next to me on the bed.

“If you want me to stop failing English, you’ve got a lot of work to do buddy. Better get started.” Amy, after a moment’s hesitation, comes and sits next to me. She’s so close I can smell her faint floral perfume, feel the tickle of her hair on my neck. We're completely pressed together from shoulder to thigh. She reads out the first flashcard and I rack my brain trying to think of the answer. I know I know it, but Amy sitting this close to me has made my brain scramble. I can’t think straight.

I really do like Amy Santiago. But when am I going to act on it?


	7. Hot-ass couple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little dianetti chapter, they're getting ready for the halloween dance together

**Gina’s POV**

“Damn girl, that is one hot-ass dress,” I say, awestruck. I’m not exaggerating when I say Rosa looks stunning. She’s wearing a black leather dress that stops just above the knee, with mesh sleeves. She walks into the room looking somewhat uncomfortable.

“Thanks babe, but I’m really not used to dresses,” Rosa says, walking over to me. I wrap my arms around her waist and kiss her cheek.

“Well, I like it,” I murmur. Rosa chuckles and kisses me on the forehead.

“You even nearly ready?” Rosa asks, wriggling out of my arms. I know she’s not huge on hugs, but she tolerates me sometimes.

“Nearly halfway, baby girl,” I say, sitting back down at my vanity and coating another layer of mascara onto my lashes. “Unlike Beyonce, I didn’t wake up like this. This,” I gesture to my face, “takes time.” Rosa rolls her eyes at me.

“You want me to curl your hair?” I spin round.

“You know how to curl hair?”  
“I’m still a girl, Gina. It’s not exactly hard.”  
“Yeah but, I mean, your hair is so curly already- ah you know what, just curl it. Away from my face. I’m going for a casual, beachy wave look.”

“You got it boss.” Rosa mock salutes, making me laugh. I love her so much.

  
**Rosa’s POV**

Okay, so curling Gina’s hair is a little harder than I thought it’d be, but it’s fine. I pull the curling iron out of the last lock and shake her hair out. It’s not a perfect beachy wave, but she doesn’t need to know that.

“All done, G,” I say, stepping away to unplug to curler.

“Thanks boo, I’m all finished,” Gina says, putting down her setting spray and turning to face me. I turn around from the outlet and stop, my mouth hanging open. She looks gorgeous. How did I get so lucky?

Gina comes over and pushes my mouth shut, her hand lingering on my face. “Let me at least put my dress on first.” She gathers up her dress and heads into the bathroom. I hear various zips, the rustling of fabric, and the final sigh of content when Gina gets into the dress. The door clicks open and out comes Gina, in a stunning white dress, that hugs her body then flows out into a skirt that stops at her knees.

“Damn, girl,” I say, my eyes widening.                        

“Can you zip me up?” she asks, turning around and pulling her hair over her shoulder. I think I’m stuck here. “Rosa?” I shake myself out of my stupor and go and zip up her dress. She spins around to face me and her skirt spins with her. She’s stunning.

“Ready to go?” I ask, surprised my words still come out right. I offer my arm and Gina takes it and, together, we slip our shoes on – hers are white heels, while mine are black Vans – grab our bags and head out the door.


	8. Halloween masked ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the Halloween ball has arrived. The masks concealing everybody's faces makes certain people that bit braver around their crushes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long! I've been really busy with school but I'm here again and I hope this is good enough :)

**Amy’s POV**

As I walk through the ‘spooky vines’ – tissue paper we ripped up last minute - to get into the school hall, I can’t quite believe it. We did it. My first school dance as head girl, and it looks incredible. Everybody’s queuing for the blood orange punch, the eyeball grapes, the witch’s fingers (cocktail sausages) … and the whole hall is a sea of masks. You can kind of guess who some people are, others I have no idea. And some you know for definite. Take Rosa and Gina, for example. Rosa’s black dress perfectly complements Gina’s white one, like ying and yang. They’re so great together, dancing, laughing, having fun. I continue to look round, desperately trying to pick out anybody I recognise so I’m slightly less alone. Surely I can at least recognise Terry? Boyle? If I really can’t see anyone I might just stand alone, or I suppose I could third wheel Rosa and Gina. We’ll see.

 

**Jake’s POV**

I can’t believe I’m wearing a tie outside of school… well, lessons. I adjust it, trying to stop it from completely strangling me. It’s a pretty cool tie, though. It’s purple, with skeletons dancing all over it wearing backwards hats. Noice. I turn to Boyle, who insisted on wearing a full costume even though I told him it was more a formal dance than a costume party.

“Ready, Boyle?” I ask.

“I told you, Jake, you can only refer to me as Dr Frankenstein. I don’t know who this Boyle person is,” Boyle – I mean Frankenstein – replies, pulling his goggles over his eyes and pressing down his wig. “Let’s do Halloween.”

We walk into the school hall, through the spooky vines – entirely my idea of course. I glance around the room, trying to spot Amy. I’ve decided tonight is the night I’m going to act on my crush on Amy. Since we’re all in masks, it’s the perfect timing. I can walk up to her, talk to her – actually no, she’d recognise my voice. Damn my charming voice. I suppose I’ll just have to kiss her. A bit out there, I know. If she doesn’t like it, she doesn’t need to know it’s me. If she keeps kissing, then I suppose I can reveal myself.

Suddenly, amongst a crowd of black, white and purple, I spot a long, blue dress. Is that Amy? I squint, stepping further forwards to get a better look. Yep, that’s Amy. Her dark hair is curled and cascading over her shoulders. Of course she's wearing a full length dress. She’s wearing a mask that covers her entire face, but I’m sure that’s Amy. I take a deep breath. This is the time.

As I walk over, I feel the butterflies kicking in. If I can recognise Amy, will she recognise me? “Please, God,” I mutter to myself, “if I should do this, give me some kind of sign.” And sure enough, as I say this, ‘I want it that way’ begins to blast over the speakers. I grin. I’m doing this.

“Hey there,” I say, trying to lower my voice.

“Hiya!” Amy says, friendly as ever. “I can't tell who you are, but are you having a good time? I think the music could be slightly better honestly, but…” I kiss her. Even though she was once again dissing Backstreet Boys, I’m high on adrenaline. And kissing her is all I ever imagined it would be, and more. I feel chills through my entire body from the moment my lips touch hers. After a brief moment, I pull away to check she isn’t entirely freaked out. She stares at me for a second, and I’m scared she’s seen through my mask and realised who I am, but she leans forward again and so I happily oblige, kissing her again. I put my arms round her waist and pull her in closer, and I can feel her arms come up around my neck. We’re as close as we could possibly be, and I couldn’t be happier. If only she knew it was me. Would she still be kissing me this much?


	9. The Puzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's about a week after the halloween ball and Amy is desperately using her puzzle solving skills to try and figure out who it was that kissed her.

****

**Amy’s POV**

It’s been a week and I’m still trying to figure out who it was that kissed me. That’s not good, is it? All those years I’ve spent solving puzzles – hopefully, one day, I’ll even make it to that adult summer camp – and I can’t even figure out which boy it is that kissed me. I collapse onto my bed, face first into a pillow. This is so hard. I pick my head up and rest it on my hands. Let’s think about this logically. Surely there’s enough I know about him to figure it out.

One. He was wearing a tie with skeletons on it. That could rule out Jake, as he hates wearing ties, but then again it was stupid enough to be the kind of thing he would wear. That doesn’t really help. Although, I suppose that does rule out Boyle – he was in a full on costume, as usual. I think he was Frankenstein?

Two. He had a low voice. Wow. Really helpful there. I suppose that weeds out a few of the scrawnier boys in the class.

Three. He had a great body. I blush even just thinking about it, but I spent enough time there wrapped around his body to know he was fit. Again, that rules out a few of the boys, but who knows what guys are hiding under their hoodies and shirts.

Four. There’s a chance, of course, that he thought I was somebody else. That means I have to think about all the guys in relationships with girls that look like me. But surely a guy would know what his own girlfriend looks like? Guys aren’t that oblivious, are they? Scratch that then.

Five. There is no five. I think he had brown hair, but that’s pretty common. And I couldn't see his eyes because the mask shadowed over them. Ugh. I give up. I guess I’ll just have to keep my eye out in the corridor even more. I **will** solve this…eventually.

 

**Jake’s POV**

I bolt upright and check my phone for the time. It doesn’t turn on. Great. No battery. I plug it in and drag myself out of bed, figuring by the light outside it’s a decent time to wake up. I head over to the bathroom, splash my face with water and put product in my hair. This is the most essential part of my daily routine. As I’m checking myself out in the mirror – another key part of my routine – I notice Kate left her phone on the counter. I turn it on to check the time and – crap. It’s half eight, and I’m meant to be at school. Cool cool cool cool cool cool. I rush out of the bathroom – with one final glance in the mirror to check my hair – and grab the nearest clothes I can find. Where are all my ties? Why do I never put stuff in it’s designated spot on the floor? Aha! A tie! My Halloween tie. Noice. This will distract the teachers from the fact that I am going to be very late. I run downstairs, grabbing my bag and then swiping a piece of toast from my mum’s hand as she goes to eat it.

“Thanks for waking me up!” I cry, spraying crumbs everywhere. “I’m off to school, loveyouokaybye.”

 

The lunch bell finally rings and I’ve never been happier. I managed to slide into first lesson while Wuntch’s back was turned, but that woman has eyes like a vulture and seemed to notice so now I have detention after school. Oh well. As I head into the canteen, I spy Amy on the other side of the hall. I wave at her and head over. We haven’t really had a chance to talk since… well, technically Halloween I suppose.

“Sup, Ames?” I say, mock saluting. I expect an eye roll, or a sigh of exasperation, or anything, but instead her eyes get really wide and she’s pointing at my tie. If this is the kind of reaction it gets, I should wear it more often.

“It’s you!” she exclaims.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I've been super busy with last minute assignments but hopefully after next week I'll have a lot more free time to write! I have some great chapters planned.


	10. Puzzle solving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy's finally solved the puzzle of who kissed her during the Halloween ball. How does she react?

**Jake's POV**

"It's you!" she exclaims, pointing at my tie. Shit. I forgot just how observant Amy is. I look around the cafeteria, which is quickly filling up with hungry, rowdy teenagers. 

"Can we go talk somewhere more private?" I ask, putting my hand against her back and shepherding her out of the lunch hall. 

"Jake," Amy says, turning round  to look at me as I continue to propel her out of the lunch hall. "As much as I want to, I can't talk now. I really don't have time." This makes me stop. 

"Do we have a meeting that I forgot about?" I ask. There are so many responsibilities as head boy that I can't keep track of them all. I usually just rely on Amy's frantic texts asking where I am. She shakes her head.

"No, I have stenography club. The president will be so mad if I don't show up."  
"Who's the president? I think they'll let the head girl off so she can speak to the head boy." Amy looks towards her feet.

"I'm... the president."  
"Oh. Alright then. Just let everyone else know you can't make it and I'll meet you in that closet next to maths." I turn to leave.

"There's not really anyone else who goes, Jake. Boyle shows up some Fridays."

"So that's where he goes! I was so sure he went and stared at Rosa in the gym or something."  
"Point is, I'm going, Jake."  
"Well, then I guess I'm coming to stanograby club too."  
"Stenography."  
"Whatever." Finally, Amy smiles and tucks her hair behind both her ears, before turning and heading down the corridor.

 

**Amy's POV**

I can't believe that, of all people, Jake is the one that kissed me. Did he know it was me? Did he care it was me? I have so many questions but oddly I don't ask any of them, and just walk next to Jake in silence. If he's insisting on spending his precious lunchtime - his words, not mine - with me, then there must be some serious explanation to go with this. I look over and he's fiddling with his tie, loosening it even more. He still insists on not wearing his tie properly. At least it's around his neck today. Holt's given up trying to make him wearing it completely properly. I smile a little. He looks over and I quickly turn my head away, pulling my backpack up onto my shoulder.

"Here we are," I say, opening the door. The only room the headmaster let me use for this is tiny, and I think it used to be used for storage because there's a few boxes filled with toilet paper and stuff. It's also covered with cobwebs and dust. At least there's one small window.

"Cosy..." Jake says, running his finger along a shelf. He takes it off and it's grey. "I'm surprised you haven't cleaned this, Santiago."  
"Of course I clean it. What kind of person do you think I am? But I'm only in here Thursdays and Fridays so it gets pretty gross over the week." I go over to the windowsill and grab my feather duster, shaking it out to its full length. I run it along the bookshelf, the desk, the windowsill and my stenotype machine. Clouds of dust billow up, causing me to sneeze what feels like a hundred times. Jake goes over to the box of toilet paper, pulls out a roll and hands me a piece.

"Bless you," he says quietly. I grab it from him, and I could swear his hand lingers for a second longer than it needed to.

"Thanks," I say, blushing slightly.  
"So, what do we do in stenography club?" Jake asks, sitting on the desk and swinging his legs. 

"Well, I play recordings of old court cases and see how quickly and accurately I can type them up," I say, pushing him off the desk and replacing him with the stenotype machine.   
"How about, instead, I say stuff and you try and keep up. I'd suggest we take turns, but that machine is definitely missing a few keys."  
"It's supposed to, Peralta. That's the point. It's meant to be quicker."  
"Sounds complicated." He goes and sits on the windowsill, blocking out almost all the light. 

"Would you move from there? I can't see a thing." He slides off and instead sits on the box of toilet paper.  
"Ready?" he asks, smiling a little. I nod, and he begins some spiel about how great Die Hard is, followed by a rant about how I don't appreciate the craftsmanship that is the Backstreet Boys. Why did I agree to this?  
  
**Jake's POV**

"Okay, final one. Are you ready?" I ask, stretching out my legs. Amy nods, her hair falling in front of her shoulders. I take a deep breath. It's time I told Amy what I really came here to say.

"Picture the scene," I begin. "Halloween masquerade ball. There's a boy, wearing an incredible tie with dancing skeletons on. And a girl, wearing a gorgeous full length blue dress. Both are wearing masks, but the boy is sure of who the girl is. Why? Because he likes the girl. He has for a while, now. So he could recognise her anywhere." At this, I can see Amy's eyebrows raise and she begins to look up. I look away, take a deep breath, and continue. "The boy saw this as his chance, because the mask gave him something to hide behind. So he kissed the girl. And he liked it. So much. The girl didn't know it was him, but because she's incredible and smart, she figured it out. The girls name was Amy Santiago. And the boy... Jake Peralta." At this point, Amy finishes typing as quickly as she can and stands up. She comes round the desk and stands in front of me, gently leaning on the table.  
"Jake?" she asks, looking up at me with those beautiful eyes of hers.

"Amy?" I reply, fighting the urge to wrap may arms around her and kiss her as I did at the ball. 

"Is that true? Do you... like me?" Amy's blushing. I look down sheepishly. "I, uh... yeah I do. And I want to ask you something." I gently grab Amy's arms and spin her so I'm now sitting on the table, eye level with her. "Santiago, would you do me the honour of going out with me, romantic styles?" I look at her expectantly, although deep down I know she'll just turn me down. She's Amy Santiago. She's beautiful, and smart, and she hates me. She takes my hands in her and I prepare myself for the rejection.

"Yes, Peralta. I will." I can't quite believe it. I shake my head, checking my ears still work.  
"Did you... did you actually say yes?" My mouth is wide open. Amy Santiago just agreed to date me. She reaches over and gently closes my mouth, her hand resting on my cheek.  
"Yes, Peralta. I've never seen you so speechless," she replies, giggling. Suddenly, from outside, I hear the bell ring. Amy turns around to put away her machine, but I grab her hand and pull her in close. Buzzing with adrenaline, I lean across and kiss her. The kiss is brief but intense, our hearts beating against each others chest. As the sound of kids outside grows louder, I grudgingly pull away and head out the door. As I reach for the door handle, my hands are still shaking. Almost in a daze, I head towards chemistry. At some point I hear Amy run up behind me - I'm guessing she tidied the room first, of course - and her hand slips gently into mine. I squeeze it and smile at her. She beams back. I've never been so happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is pretty long? I hope it makes up for me being MIA for forever. Not that you probably noticed. Anyway. Peraltiago is now official!! Dates to come ;)


End file.
